There More Than Your Eternity
by Faiga
Summary: wen you're freind needs you tha most, r you there for dem?
1. Days Without Company

**There More Than Your Eternity**

Chapter 1

"Days Without Company"

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_Riku and I have been best friends since childhood. I can't remember a single school year of my life without him. We got enough of the same memories to make one person. And this year, my first year in high school, was when we began to keep enough of the same secrets._

"W-what? You're staying after again?" I grabbed my books from my desk, worried that Riku would notice the strain in my voice. "Yeah. I'm really sorry, Sena. When we go to your favorite video store, I'll buy any game you want!" Riku said, following me out into the hall way. "Deal?" I bite my lip to keep a sigh from escaping. I wanted to turn around and tell Riku he was being stupid.

Today we'd planned on him coming over and watching a new movie I'd bought. We planned it. A _week _before Riku started staying after for who knows what. Yeah. He hasn't exactly told me why he's been staying after either. Which is another reason why I should shove my book down his throat and get away with it.

But that's not fair. I'm sure Riku has his reasons. Maybe he has a pushy girlfriend that needs attention and doesn't want to tell me about it yet because I hate girls like that. Yeah. That's it. Augh. Is being nice in my veins or what? I turn around and face Riku. I force a smile.

"…Deal. I've been eyeing the latest version of Vampire Collector since yesterday." I can't help but grin at the pained look on Riku's face. Vampire Collector II amounts up to sixty something. Maybe I'm not so nice after all. "Undercover sadist!" Riku murmurs, stepping in beside me and walking with me all the way to the school entrance. I can't help myself and laugh. Riku joins me.

All the anger I felt moments ago is gone by the time I'm walking to my house alone. _Next time, I'll get angry for sure._

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Eyeshield 21. Ever.**


	2. Barely Memory

**There More Than Your Eternity**

Chapter 2

Barely Memory

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I yawn and glance at Riku. He looks terrible. I'm worried about those rings under his eyes than about my head full of questions and weird scenarios.

I tried talking to him last night on the phone. I was surprised he answered. I thought he would be out somewhere. And I was even more surprised at myself. I don't even remember why I called Riku in the first place. So the conversation was a little awkward.

After he hung up, I tried to think a little back before the phone call. I was just playing a video game, on the road to beating my previous high score. Then I paused the game and went for phone.

It still freaks me out. But either way, I have to talk to him.

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**A/N: It's short. *shrugs***


	3. Are We Still Friends?

**There More Than Your Eternity**

Chapter 3

Are We Still Friends?

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"Riku, you don't look so good. Have you been getting enough sleep?" I ask, finally having enough guts to turn and look at him. He doesn't answer and stares forward for a long time. "Y… you're worrying me, you know. It's been almost a month of you staying after and not telling me what for. And everyday, you come to school exhausted."

I choke up and turn away. "And you don't talk to me much. We barely hang out, too." My mouth feels dry and I focus on the door leading back to the third floor of our high school. I inhale and exhale. It's getting harder to breathe by the minute. _I have to do this. I have to. _"Are we… still friends?" I say.

I feel warmth radiating from Riku's body as he leans against me. "Remember when we were small and slept over at each other's houses a lot?" He doesn't wait for me to reply. "My mom use to tease me after you left. Because whenever you weren't sleeping with me, I got fussy at bedtime and whined about how the bed didn't feel right."

I can feel his whole body shudder as he relaxes completely. "Sena, I'm sorry I haven't told you much. I'm sure you've figured out that I've been lying to you, right? I hate lying to you." Riku closes his eyes. "And you've been very patient with me. I'm surprised you haven't left yet. There's no words to describe how grateful I am." He trails off and I wonder if he's fallen asleep. "I'll express my gratitude by telling you my secret." I hold in my breath for no reason.

He opens his eyes and he looks at me. "The truth is, Sena, I'm a vampire."

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**A/N: Haha, I promise I'll try to write more in the future. Right now, my wheels are still turning.**


	4. No Need For Words

**There More Than Your Eternity**

Chapter 4

"No Need For Words"

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"What?" I whisper, suddenly shaking. It was all so much to take in. _Riku, a vampire?! Are vampires even real?! _Riku was watching me, his expression holding no mirth. He wasn't lying nor joking. Riku wouldn't pysche me out for this long. He's the type of guy to deliver the punchline quickly.

_And Riku being a vampire. How do I really feel? _I thought, lifting up my hand and watching it shiver continuously. _Am I scared? Am I really scared? _As if Riku could read my mind, he moved away from me and stood up. A wave of cold air crashed into my right shoulder. The sudden space between us didn't feel right.

With his back turned to me, he said, "It's natural for you to fear me, Sena. I don't even blame you for avoiding me for the rest of your life." I didn't like the way this was going. "Just make sure that you don't tell anyone my secret." _Why does this sound like a good bye? _Riku went on. "Keep it to yourself. Ok?" He turned around and smiled.

I hated that smile. There no truth, no happiness in that smile. _He's hurting inside._ I can feel my eyes burning. I wanted to cry. But I couldn't. Especially with Riku smiling like that. If I cried, he'd probably take it as a farewell from me. _I won't cry._

"So it hurts you that much?" Riku asks, observant as always. He moves his gaze to the ground, trying to hide the fact that he's close to crying too. "You're going to cry because you just found out your bestfriend is a _monster,_" he said, his voice quivering.

"I-I'm not crying because of that!" My own voice startles me. Hot tears pour down from my eyes. I'm so angry at myself. I hesitated too long. _Not even a second should've been wasted when Riku confessed that he was a vampire! _"Riku, you're my closest friend..." I stop and wipe my eyes. My body keeps shaking. But this time it's for a different reason. "So what if you're a vampire?! You'll always be Riku to me!" I shout.

Riku's startled expression is something I'll never forget. Silence zigs and zags through us and I can't help but panic inside. Did my words get through? _Did I say it right?_ Riku's laughter was my answer.

Now it was my turn to be surprised. "W-What so funny?" I say, my whole face heating up. _I was being serious!_ In between laughs, Riku places in words for me to make a decent sentence, "D-don't get mad, ok? S-stop pouting! I-I'm not laughing because I think you're a joke! I-I'm laughing because of-" His tears pick up where he left off. I can see them rolling down his cheeks as he laughs. I let out a sigh of relief. _My words got through. _I sink to the ground, exhausted. I close my eyes and relax.

When I open them, Riku's staring down at me, grinning. He extends his hand towards me and I take it. He pulls me up and we don't say anything. Then Riku lightly punches me in the shoulder and I rub the spot where he hit me. I smirk and say, "Ok, Mr. Macho." He hits me again. "Shut up." We burst into laughter and start down the stairs. The bell rings by the time we reach the bottom and step into the hallway.

On our way to class, I think, _Just one gesture and I know what Riku says without using words._

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**A/N: I look at this and think about recent reviews. DEFINITELY on the next one. For sure this time. Honest. xD**


	5. Brother?

**There More Than Your Eternity**

Chapter 5

"Brother?"

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The second I enter my classroom, I glance over at Riku's desk. "Empty," I mutter, frowning. Riku's been absent for a _week. He hasn't been exactly open about it either, _I think, recalling all the phone calls I had made to his house. His mom didn't even answer. Usually she'd let the phone ring once and pick up. I grit my teeth. _Riku should hint or warn me ahead of time._

"Gone again, huh?" says a voice. "Whoa," I breathe, taking a step away from Suzuna, a fellow classmate. She giggles, her blue hair bouncing up and down. "Y-yeah, it's probably the flu or something," I say. "Mmm." I begin to walk towards my desk, thinking the conversation's over. "Riku has bad habits but his looks and charm make up for it," Suzuna exclaims.

I almost didn't hear her. I turn and stare. "What?" I ask, wondering what she means. She grins and walks away. "You'll see what I mean, Sena~" she says in a sing song voice. I just stare after her and wonder what she eats for breakfast.

My teacher strolls in so I walk towards my desk and plop down in my seat. _Whatever she eats, I definitely need some. All this worrying isn't good for my health,_ I think, putting my head down on my desk and closing my eyes. _They should rename insomnia and call it Riku. _"We have a new student today..." _Or maybe Riku's mom should rename him insomnia. _"Hey everyone! My name's Kamiya Taiga! Please treat me well!" _I don't think it matters anyhow- What am I thinking? I _am _tired. _"You can sit next to Sena in the back row. Sena, please raise your hand." My eyes snap open and I sit up at the sound of my name. _Oh crap. I didn't hear a word he said! _"A-Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you..."

I can hear almost everyone snicker around me. I look around in confusion. "As you can see, Kamiya, Sena is one of my star pupils," my teacher says. By now, everyone's laughing. _Kamiya? _I blink and finally notice the new guy standing next to my teacher.

We unexpectedly make eye contact and he smirks. My whole body is burning up. I look down at my desk and try to contain my blush. _Augh, I just made myself look like an idiot in front of a new student. _I suddenly hear a 'click!' and look at Suzuna with her phone out one row across and one row up. _What was that for? _She smiles after she notices me watching her and winks. I stare at her in confusion.

I feel a light brush against my shoulder as Kamiya walks by. I look up and he smirks again. _I wonder what that means. _When he sits down at his desk I decide to forget about it.

That is, until Kamiya begins a stare fest. All through class, I tried to stop my hand from shaking and doing anything stupid. _Why is he staring at me anyway? It's making me nervous, _I think, glancing in his direction and recieving another small wave.

When the bell rings, it takes all my self-restraint not to bolt out of the classroom. I choose to wait and leave right after Kamiya does.

Another problem arises. He just keeps sitting there. "A-Aren't you going to your next class?" I ask after three minutes. He yawns and smiles at me. "Aren't you?" I'm about to answer him when our teacher interrupts, "Yes, thank you for asking Kamiya, I am." I bite down a smile and get up. Kamiya gets up too. "Good one teach," he says as we both walk out.

"So what class do you got next?" Kamiya asks casually. "Oh, um, history," I say without looking at him. _Get to class, get to class, and you'll be free. _From the corner of my eye, I see Kamiya wince. "Ouch, history, huh? I wonder why we even have that. We're living in the present." I nod and smile. "That's true. And I hear we have a quiz today." Kamiya stops and I do too (although I don't know why).

A grin makes its way onto his face. "You finally smiled at me," he states. "O-oh," is my answer. "We should hang out at lunch, you know? I haven't had time to make any friends yet." Kamiya continues to grin at me and I get the feeling I've felt this way with someone before. "O-ok... Catch you later, t-then?" I say weakly. "Yup! Catch you later!" And just like that, he's gone.

I head to my next class thinking, _I wonder why I couldn't say no to him._

_

* * *

_

_"_Man, all my classes were boooring!" Kamiya says, digging into his lunch. "It doesn't get any better as the days go on, either," I comment, taking a bite out of my own lunch. We grow silent and eat. Kamiya has toned down the staring so far and the mood's comfortable. In fact, I feel like we've been friends for more than a day. Which is kinda strange but I chuck that thought out of my mind the moment its there. _Kamiya wants to be my friend. There's nothing wrong with that._

Kamiya gets up after eating. "Hey, Sena. You seem like a pretty trustworthy guy." I nod, chewing on my sandwich. "I guess you could say that," I reply after swallowing my food. "Why?" He strolls over to the fence and I can't see his expression when he says, "Because I have something on my chest that I need to get off." I take a drink of my water, feeling uneasy. "Are you sure you should be telling me a secret when we've just met?" I ask. _Not that I gossip or anything. __He should at least think about it first._

He turns around, his expression so miserable, I'm caught off guard. _His eyes are so... _"I don't want to share anything personal on my first day. But I can't contain it anymore. I didn't transfer because my dad did in his work. I transfered because I'm looking for someone." I set my water bottle on the ground, completely listening now. "W-Who?" Kamiya doesn't speak for a while. "Sena... do you believe in vampires?"

I feel like someone kicked me in the gut. I gulp and try to answer without stuttering. "V-vampires? What does a vampire have t-to do with anything?" He stares at me. "Because the person I'm looking for is a vampire." I force out a couple laughs. "Y-you're looking for a vampire? B-but vampires don't exist, right?" Silence.

"They do, Sena. And the one I'm looking for is a murderer." Kamiya's expression contorts into anger. I decide not to say anything. Kamiya goes on, "He has white hair and is about your height." This time it feels like someone knocked the wind right out of me. I can feel beads of sweat form on my head. I don't like where this is going.

"Do you know anyone like that, Sena? Anyone that fits that description?" he asks, walking over to me and squatting to match my level. I'm sweating bullets by now and my heart feels like its about to explode. I don't know what to do or say. _Is what he said, true? _The only person I can think of that matches the description Kamiya told me, is Riku. _But Riku wouldn't hurt anyone. He's not that kind of person! _I think.

I close my eyes, losing Kamiya to darkness. _Riku, if he did such a thing. He would tell me and he wouldn't be able to live with it. I should know. _I begin to remember when me and Riku found a dead cat on an alley next to his house. Someone had strangled it with a rope.

_"Who would do such a thing?" I whimper, feeling sorry for the cat. I look at Riku and he has a shine in his eyes. Without warning me, he picks up the cat. "Ack! Riku what are you doing?" I ask, watching him walk away. "And where are you going?!" I shout as he disappears around a corner. I run to catch up with him. "I'm going to the park. We're going to have to bury this cat, Sena. We need to show him that there's still kindness in the world," Riku says. "What? But the cat's already dead." "Being dead doesn't mean anything, Sena. Do you got anything to dig a hole with?" _I remember how amazed I was at Riku's speech. And more amazed with Riku.

I stare at Kamiya, no longer avoiding eye contact. Without stuttering I say, "I know someone close to that description, but he would never do anything like that. And he's _not _a vampire, either!" Kamiya looks taken back and then he smiles. He shakes his head and grabs my chin, gently forcing me to look up at him. "You're so cute, Sena. I can see why he gets so defensive about you." I blink, confused at his words. "But Riku's not here right now. _I am_," he says, his face suddenly inches from mine.

Alarms were going off in my head and I'm positive my body was as red as a tomato. _Kamiya's too close! _"K-Kamiya, w-w-what are you doing?!" He licks his lips and gets closer, a determined gleam in his eye and a devilish smile to match. "Something I won't regret- _Oof!_"

A recognizable shoe plants itself on Kamiya's face and pushes him back. I look up. "Riku?!" I gasp, a wave of relief washing over me. "Hey." He shoots me a grin but it disappears when he sets his eyes on Kamiya again. "I told you to protect Sena, not seduce him, you idiotic brother!" he seethes, marching in Kamiya's direction.

_I know that tone._ Immediately, I get up and rushed towards them. "W-wait, Riku, i-it's ok!" Riku jumps on Kamiya, whose laughing his head off. I stop for a minute and watch them tussle on the ground. _Who laughs when they're about to be pulverized?_

"R-Riku, e-enough! I did it on purpose!" Kamiya shouts as they roll around still. "I sensed you nearby so I had to, ok?! And hey," Kamiya says, a stern expression on his face. Riku stops his punch in mid-air. "Sena's cute, you know? I just lost myself."

"I am never going to ask you to do a favor for me again!" Riku shouts, trying to strangle him now. I'm just standing there watching it all. I'm not sure on what to do. There was something peculiar about this fight. It didn't seem serious. _It's like no one's going to really hurt the other._

Kamiya has Riku in what appears to be a bear hug, "Riku, stop! I promise I won't do it again, ok?! C'mon! Give your older brother some slack!" _Older brother? _Riku stops struggling and glares at Kamiya. "You promise?" Kamiya relaxes and rests his head on the ground. "Promise," he says.

The fight's over and they both help each other up. "You better keep your promise," Riku says, his glare intense. Kamiya raises his hand. "I swear on my grave."

By now, my brains working overtime. I don't look up until they're both standing next to each other, watching me. I ignore the school bell and say, "How come I've never heard or seen Kamiya at your house before, Riku?"

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**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! I had bunch of homework and softball practices/games last week and this week. But setting excuses aside... I THINK I passed on this chapter. Right? owO Oh and.... about the whole first name thing and what not. I'm just doing what feels ok to me. But if you don't like it, fill me in and I'll change some things.**


	6. Shadows Everywhere

**There More Than Your Eternity**

Chapter 6

"Shadows Everywhere"

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_The creak of swings sends a wave of nausea through me. I know where I stand. A playground not too far from my house. The wind kicks up, drowning out the swings. I don't want to be here and I know I have no choice but to run. Something's coming and I never know what it is. Whenever it gets too close, shadows take refuge on it's body. Like right now-_

I sit up and gasp. I glance around my room first before counting to 10 and calming myself down. "There's nothing there," I whisper to myself. I repeat it over and over. A couple reassurements later, I'm laying down again, thinking. Not about my dream. I stopped that a long time ago. But about Riku and the camping trip he invited to me to yesterday, an hour after the incident with Kamiya.

_"Do you want to go on a camping trip with me and my family this weekend?" I blink and all that comes out of my mouth is, "What?" Riku puts his head on my desk. "I know, right? I don't like it either. But Kamiya and my dad insisted and my mom caved in. She wants you to go with us. Something about hardly seeing you nowadays. And I said, 'I don't bring him over anymore because we've got sudden pest problems.' "_

_I smile, thinking of Riku's mom, a slender, strong woman with calculating eyes like Riku's. "Did she catch on?" I ask. "Yeah! Kamiya was in the room when I said that so my mom almost took my face off with her slipper!" __I snort and say, "Go Rika!"_

_After we're done laughing, Riku looks at me. "So are you in?" I fake a serious expression and avert his eyes. "Hmm, I don't know. I've got a meeting with the United States president, so-" "Oh please," Riku cuts in, rolling his eyes. I laugh again. "What time are we leaving?" Riku leans on his hand and shoots me a lazy grin. I feel my stomach flip. _Whoa. _"Are you ok?" Riku says, frowning, watchful as always. "Yeah. Must've been something I ate at lunch," I laugh nervously, holding my stomach now._

_"Oh, ok. We're leaving at 4. Or so my dad says. But knowing him and Kamiya, we'll leave right at 6." He rolls his eyes again. The bell rings. Riku gets up and dusts off his knees. "I'll call you later for more details." "Ok. Later," I say. __Once he's gone, I look down at my stomach and think, _What was that?

I think of Kamiya and sigh. _I know he's going to use me to annoy Riku somehow. He makes me doubt that he studied abroad most of his life. Or do all students act that way when they return? _I snort and close my eyes. "Yeah right. It's only Kamiya."

* * *

I grimace as Kamiya's dad goes over another bump. "Are you ok?" Kamiya asks, shoving a bag out of his face and looking up at me. "Y-yeah," I say, smiling. He laughs and shakes his head, "My dad treats this van like a truck! Riku told me you get car sick sometimes, right?" I nod. Kamiya smile vanishes. "Speaking of Riku..." We both turn and look at our other white-haired companion behind us, sleeping silently. "I'm use to it," I comment. "I'm not. And the way he looks makes my hands itch. I want to wake him up!" Kamiya grumbles, his toothy smile slowly reappearing. I open my mouth to answer but Rika speaks up from the front, "You will do no such thing." Me and Kamiya laugh before he looks out the window again.

"Honey, slow down! Our stop's coming up!" I hear Rika say. Kenji, obviously the man of the house, laughs it off. "It's ok! I've got it all under control!" I grin and look at Kamiya. "My family's one of a kind—" Kenji slams on the brakes and me and Kamiya fly forward. It's like a wierd race. But Kamiya wins by reaching the the back of the front seat first. A_nd I finish last, by gracefully landing into him. Yeah right!_

"Ack!" I cry out, slamming into Kamiya with my forehead banging against his lips. He cries out and we both think we're going to live until Riku comes crashing into _me. _Everything grows quiet. I don't have to look to know that Rika's giving Kenji a long, hard glare. "I-I'm going to go u-unpack," Kenji says quickly and I can hear the door open and close. Rika gets out too. _K-Kenji's a dead man._

"What a crappy way to wake up," Riku snaps, sitting up. I lay back on Riku's stomach and say in a shaky voice, "T-This is the first time I f-forgot to wear a seatbelt." Kamiya doesn't say anything and I notice his hand covering his mouth. I open my mouth to blurt out a million apologies but Riku stops me. "Don't apologize to him," he says, wriggling underneath me. I get on the seat and Riku sits up right. Kamiya's still sitting inbetween the two front seats, his hand hiding a part of his frown. But when he lets his arm flop down to his side, I feel chills run up my spine.

Kamiya licks the blood that's on his lip and wipes the rest away on his chin. "Are you jealous, little brother? That _I'm_ the _first_ to _kiss _Sena on _his adorable forehead_?" he says, smirking. _Holy crap. _I glance at Riku, who was about to step out of the van. He suddenly turns around. "**What did you say?" **"RIKA-CHAN!" I cry out, covering my mouth soon after. _What'd I just do? _We all freeze as Rika somehow appears by my side in a matter of seconds. "Yes?" Rika asks, a rare expression on her face. I laugh nervously, taking in her lowered eyes directed at her two sons and a ominous smile. "I-I forgot what I was going to say!" Rika nods and pats me on the head. "Oh my. So many things you keep forgetting about Sena! When you remember clearly, please tell me!" She beams at me. "I-I tend to do that often! Um, d-do you need help with l-luggage?" I ask, feeling Riku's strong gaze.

I zoom out of there before Rika could say, 'Yes.'

At the back of the van, I think, _Blah. __Riku's annoyed with me because I keep calling Rika whenever him and Kamiya are about to fight. But I can't sit back and watch._ _Two siblings quarreling is scary!_ "Here, Sena!" Kenji says, tearing me away from my thoughts by throwing me the heaviest looking bag in the trunk. "Augh!" I grab onto the bag to keep from dropping it and stumble back. _Not good! I'm going to fall!_

"Easy, there," exclaims a voice from behind. I suddenly feel two hands supporting me from the back. I blink and turn around. A guy with a mohawk smiles down at me. "Let me help you." He grabs the bag from me like it's as heavy as a feather and throws it over his shoulder. I bite my lip, becoming depressed. _Am I that weak? _I think, staring at my hands.

Like a mind reader, the guy ruffles my hair after he steadies the bag and says, "I do volunteer work for my dad's construction company so I'm built like a tank." I look up at him, wondering if what he said is true and recieve a smile in return. "The name's Musashi." "I-I'm Sena," I say shyly. He smiles at me again and looks like he's about to say something but Kenji stops him.

"Hey! There's the person I wanted to see! When did you guys get here?" Kenji shouts, walking up. "We left a little early because of Hiruma," Musashi says, his smile wearing off. "Hiruma's pretty punctual, so I'm not surprised! Can you help us unload?" "Yeah. The others should be heading down, too." "Great! With their help we'll get done in only—"

"What are they doing here?" I hear Riku say. I look past Musashi and Kenji. I take note of Kamiya and Riku's serious expressions and frown myself. _Is something wrong? _Kenji sighs and he faces his two sons. "I know you guys are set on handling everything yourselves..."

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**A/N: Apologies times a thousand. I had a hard time writing up this chapter. *gets stick and taps different areas in the story* When I'm bored, I always make up scenes here and there and write them down. This is basically slices of my scenes put together to form some wierd pizza. Thus, giving birth to the 6th chapter. (it feels all blah to me, because I forced my brain to come up with it [I'll probably re-do the whole thing later]) I promise better ones in the future! :'P**


	7. Trustful Falls

**There More Than Your Eternity**

**Chapter 7**

**"Trustful Falls"**

* * *

Breathless, I stare at Riku's back. _I need to catch up, _I think, pushing myself to close the distance between us. Which was kind of hard when the forest was setting traps everywhere for me. I'd already fallen twice. We were supposed to be hiking to what Kamiya called "The best place in the world!" I didn't really want to go anywhere because the clouds were gray and closing in. But Riku wanted to go and I couldn't say no to him.

About an hour later, I figure out that it was no use exerting myself. Riku was the one keeping the distance between us and nothing else. _I-I guess it makes sense. Wanting to be alone and all when you're mad._

_And, _I didn't want to think this, _Riku's probably tapping into some of his powers to keep ahead. _The way he easily walked through the rough terrain of the forest was odd. Sometimes it looked like he floated. _But can vampires float?_

I gaze at Riku's back, my thoughts wrapping around each other and place my hands on a small fallen tree so I can climb over it. "Sh!" I pull my hands away, remembering the scratches I got from falling. The wind pushes past me while I sit on the fallen tree, looking down at my hands. I shiver. Then I look at Riku, who keeps moving without me. Suddenly I'm angry. Why did Riku drag me along when it seemed like all he wanted was to be alone?

_ARGH! Am I being selfish now? _I cry inwardly, getting off the tree and running in Riku's direction instead of walking to distract myself. I didn't want to think anymore.

It wasn't until I reached Riku that I realised he wasn't moving anymore. _Was he waiting for me? _I follow his stern blue eyes to the stream we were standing next to. "We're almost there," he says, looking directly at me for the first time since we started walking. I nod and feel much better now that we're side by side. We continue walking.

When the stream began to widen, I mentally slapped myself. I felt like kid for acting up earlier for no reason. And it was strange. I decided to ask Riku about it. "Riku, if a friend of yours started having mood swings all of a sudden, what would you do?" I ask. "You're not talking about me, are you?" "What? No. A friend of mine...W-Who's name I don't want to mention r-right now." I congradulate myself for my quick thinking. "I don't know. I've never had that problem before. I guess I'd try and help my friend find out what's wrong. Like find the source that started the mood swings in the first place." "I see," I rub my chin in thought. _I wonder if the milk I had this morning was bad?_

"Sena?" Riku's voice slips through my thoughts. "Yeah?" I look at him. "Thanks," he says. "That was random," I reply, laughing a bit. "No really. Thanks. For being my friend and all." He stops and I stop too. We stare at each other and I notice for the second time in my life how Riku's blue eyes have an unnatural hue to them.

While we're standing there, I feel that I should say something back to him but Riku doesn't give me the chance to. "We're here," he exclaims. "What?" I look forward and suck in my breath. "Whoa."

We were standing a couple feet from the edge but you could see and hear the water fall clearly. The sound of rushing water hitting the rocks below was so loud I wondered how I didn't hear it earlier. "This place is pretty cool," I say when Riku walks closer to the edge. "Yeah. Me and Kamiya use to come here whenever our family went camping. We haven't been here in a few years, though, so I'm surprised to see that it still looks the same." He turns and smiles at me. "This is the only place where me and Kamiya won't argue."

I snort. "We should call it heaven then." Riku's smile widens into a grin, showing his fangs. "I'll let that one go because you're my friend, you know?" "And I'm _very _honored," I say.

Riku chuckles and tries to convince me that it's safe to stand by the edge but I won't go anywhere near it. When he gives up trying to convince me, we settle down. He sits on a rock that's above the water before it drops, right next to the edge. I sit on the ground under a tree a small distance away from him. We sit and listen for a long time.

I didn't want to disrupt the peaceful silence between us but I had a few things I wanted to ask him. Things that were bothering me the moment Kenji pulled Riku and Kamiya aside when we were unpacking and talked to them. I didn't want to upset Riku, though. Especially when he seemed to calm down from when we arrived.

After minutes of arguing with myself, I tentively ask, "Are they your relatives?"

"No. They're my dad's friends," Riku replies, his tone patient.

"Oh...A-Are they vampires?" I curse myself for stuttering. I should be use to saying 'vampire' around Riku by now.

"Yeah. All three of them are."

"Oh."

"Stay away from Hiruma if you can. He's an expert at reading minds," Riku shifts uneasily on the rock as he tells me this, the mere thought of Hiruma probably making him squirm. I do a bit of squirming myself.

Whether Riku warned me or not, I would've stayed away from the blond vampire. His height greatly overwhelmed my own but it wasn't his height that was intimidating. It was his piercing, green eyes that seemed to pick you apart until there was not a piece in you that he had not seen. _A-At least that's what I felt like when Kenji introduced me to him, _I think. _B-But Musashi and Kurita seem ok to be around. _I smile, remembering the bone crushing hug the largest of the trio, Kurita, had given me the moment I held my hand out for a handshake.

_They don't seem like bad people to be around. So why were Kamiya and Riku so angry before? _I decide to ask Riku this but suddenly he's pushing me to the ground and covering my mouth with his hand.

I blink, shocked at how fast Riku had moved towards me. I stare at him questioningly. "Riku?" My voice comes out all muffled. He shushes me and whispers for me to be quiet. I obey, feeling my eyebrows furrow together. Just what was wrong?

We lay there, listening.

Then we hear voices coming closer. Ones that I can't place.

"Before our scout was killed three hours ago, she reported them being around this area," explained the first person.

"Are you sure? It could be another trap," asked person 2.

"No. He's right. I can smell them," says person 3.

I feel Riku's hand twitch against my lips. I glance at him. Riku's serious expression causes my heart to dig through my ribcage. What was going on?

Person 3 speaks again. "The scent is strong."

I hear sniffing. "Is it an ambush?" asks person 2, his tone worried.

The sniffing stops and so does my heart. "No. It's only one. And it's close."

There's the sound of branches snapping and Riku has grabbed both my shoulders with his hands now. "Do you trust me?" he whispers, his voice shaky. He presses his forehead to my own.

Time seems to have stopped as I thought this over. Riku had left something out when he had asked me to go on this trip. Something important. Something I should've known from the beginning. And now here we are, hiding from strangers in a forest. I have no clue on what's going on and why I'm so scared and concerned for Riku's well being when I should be worried about my own. It's like the world's going too fast for me and it surprises me how much things have changed in 2 months. But even through the blur of chaos and days, I can always find blue eyes searching for my own.

Time moves on again and I shudder as the word tumbles out of me, "Yes."

Riku's hands slide from my shoulders to my back and he holds onto me firmly. Then he lifts me up and in seconds, we're falling off the edge of the cliff. I gasp and wrap my arms around Riku's neck with no desire of ever letting go.

* * *

**A/N-So... I don't blame you if you stop reading by the 1st paragraph. Or the whole thing entirely. I feel like I'm taking FOREVER to get to the good stuff. It's torture for everyone. x_X**


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